DIPOL Weekly Review – TV and SAT TV, CCTV, WLAN

Battery and charger in one – a new technology to collect and store solar energy.

Scientists at Lancaster University have invented a new material that can collect energy from light radiation and store it in its structure. The structure is based on MOF (Metal Organic Frameworks) organometallic networks. Metallic centers are connected with carbon-based particles which are distinct for their high porosity. The scientists have placed azobenzene, a material that strongly absorbs light radiation, in those porous structures. Azobenzene molecules change their shape significantly under the influence of light or temperature. They have proven that, if the material is illuminated with UV light, the MOF structure will act like a spring, absorbing the energy of the azobenzene molecules which are trying to expand. The energy thus accumulated can be potentially stored for long periods at room temperature. It requires increased temperature to release. The research has demonstrated that the energy can be recovered after 4 months, but it is estimated to last up to 4.5 years. This is a huge advantage as most light-sensitive materials release energy back within hours or days.

The structure of the tested material observed using a scanning electron microscope

The long energy storage time of allows for many applications. According to the researchers, the material can be used as a storage of energy accumulated during the day and returned at night, or for energy accumulated in the summer and used for heating in winter. It can also be applied in the form of a coating of a building, to support the heating system, or as a coating of e.g. car windows and used to heat them quickly.

The greatest challenge involved in the new material is low energy density, which is the amount of energy stored in a mass of material. Currently, efforts are made to improve this quality so that the material can have practical applications.

AcuTrac vibration compensation technology in Seagate SkyHawk hard drives.

Hard drives used in surveillance systems are exposed to severe vibration that can cause problems with reading or writing the data. Disks installed in multi-disk recorders and equipped with a cooling system with forced air circulation using fans are particularly vulnerable. Vibrations from adjacent disks and fans reduce the overall performance of the data recording system, and high vibrations can even damage the motor responsible for positioning the disk head.

VCM and PZT motors on the read/write arm

The Seagate SkyHawk series drives are designed so as to maintain system performance regardless of the vibrations. The head movement is controlled by two systems. The VCM motor (standard on discs) is responsible for the rapid movements on the platter to read and write data, while the PZT micromotor (sonic motor) additionally compensates for the vibrations. Both motors are controlled by a special feedback controller that checks the vibration of two rotational motion sensors (RV) located on the disc control board. Appropriate control of both motors ensures the balancing of head vibrations.

Hikvision IP DVR for large systems.

DS-9664NI-I8 K22364 is a modern 64-channel Hikvision IP recorder dedicated for building large and demanding systems. With 8 SATA ports it can support up to 8 hard drives with a total capacity of up to 80 TB. It is equipped with two HDMI and two VGA connectors so that the device can be directly connected to a computer monitor or a TV set. IP cameras with a resolution of up to 12 Mp and cameras dedicated to the identification of license plates can be connected to enable wide-angle and detailed observation. Thanks to RAID support the system can be protected against the loss of recordings in the event of disk failure.

In 2019, the K22364 recorder was used to build an extensive surveillance system in the building and the practice lot of a driver examination center.

DVB-T/T2 signal and Internet in twisted-pair cable.

Designers of low-voltage systems for office buildings often include only computer cabling (twisted-pair) in their designs. The lack of a coaxial cable may be a huge problem when TV signal, for example from a DVB-T T2 antenna, has to be supplied to specific locations of the building.

A unique solution to this problem is to use SIGNAL TV-LAN baluns for TV over UTP, R94200. The pair of the passive baluns can transmit analog/digital RF signals from an antenna placed in a suitable place via the existing UTP cable. The transmission is performed in parallel to the "normal" use of the cable for data transmission (LAN, Internet). The idea of using the Signal TV-LAN baluns is presented in the figure below.

DVB-T/T2 and LAN signal transmission in one twisted-pair cable
with the use of R94200 baluns

Although the solution is based on point-to-point connection, it is possible to use multiple transmitter-receiver kits, even in combination with TV splitters and network switches. When the RF signal level after splitting is sufficient for further distribution, the signal can be sent over another UTP cable segment after a network switch, using TV splitter and additional pair of the baluns.

View of the baluns (visible LAN and RF connectors)

Solutions based on the baluns are much more economical in comparison with deployment of additional systems based on coaxial cables or IPTV technology (the latter also requires extra network resources). They do not convert the original RF signals, only change the transmission medium.

Cleaning of optical fiber connectors.

Signal attenuation is the main problem of data transmission over long distances. For optical fibers, the attenuation may depend on various factors, such as splicing accuracy or exceeding the minimum fiber bending radius. It often happens, however, that despite the correct connection and wiring, the attenuation of the optical path is still too high.

The sometimes forgotten or ignored factor increasing attenuation is a dirty ferrule end face. It may be the main and only reason for the trouble with the transmission of optical signal. But a similar problem can caused by dirty adapters.

DIPOL offers two universal automatic cleaning devices of the renowned Japanese brand NTT. NANOCLEAN L59161 and L59162 tools make cleaning of the above components possible. The key advantage of this solution is the ability to clean pigtail connectors plugged into a front panel of a switchboard without having to remove them from the adapter. The connector is plugged in from the inside, and the cleaning device from the outside, to clean the pigtail ferrule face and the adapter sleeve at the same time. With an appropriate tip, NANOCLEAN can be used to clean ferrules in connectors outside adapters.

The NANOCLEAN-E3 L59161 tool allows cleaning connectors with a 2.5 mm ferrule.
For 1.25 mm ferrules, we offer the E1 model (L59162).

NTT automatic tools ensure high quality and efficiency. After about 750 cleaning cycles the cartridge should be replaced. The tools should be of interest to most fiber optic network installers - in particular those who are required to provide measurement reports after deploying fiber optic systems.

Lossless HDMI Converters.

DIPOL has introduced an HDMI signal converter to the Signal 4K60 twisted-pair cable with USB ipcolor H3643. This converter allows for transmission of HDMI signal over longer distances via minimum Cat. 6 twisted pair cable. The device transmits a lossless image supporting HDMI 2.0, HDR (18 Gbps band), DTS. Additionally it has an integrated USB extension cable. When using H3644 converters, there is no (video and sound) signal delay at the input and output of the kit. This is particularly important when you want to use remote control of devices through the built-in USB extension cable.

HDMI to twisted pair cable Signal converter (4K60, USB ipcolor) H3643

Key features:

• Transmission via a +++single Cat. 5/5e/6 6/6A/7 cable,
• Transmission speed up to 18 Gbps,
• Image type 4K x 2K 60Hz,
• No delays,
• Support for DTS, Dolby,
• Support for Audio Return Channel (ARC) and S/PDIF,
• USB extension cable.

Application diagram

Fiber optic CCTV system – serial topology. One of the questions most frequently asked by installers is the one about the possibility of connecting several camera points (poles) with one fiber optic cable. It is possible, but it should the choice of more experienced installers, equipped with the appropriate tools... >>>more

Splicing diagram of 12J cable fibers of a CCTV system on 5 poles – 38 splices

Coaxial cable for emergency exits